The Sick Adult Horse: Renal Clinical Pathologic Testing and Urinalysis

Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2020 Apr;36(1):121-134. doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2019.12.003. Epub 2020 Feb 6.

Abstract

Clinicopathologic evaluation of renal function and renal disease in sick adult horses remains grounded in detection of azotemia, assessment of serum and urine electrolyte concentrations, and evaluation of urinalysis findings, including specific gravity, reagent strip analysis, and sediment examination. Because increases in serum or plasma urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations are insensitive indicators of a decreased glomerular filtration rate, there is considerable interest in identifying novel biomarkers of renal function or injury in blood and urine, with serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentration being the most recent addition to the commercial market.

Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Azotemia; Chronic kidney disease; Enzymuria; Furosemide; Symmetric dimethylarginine; Urine-specific gravity.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Biomarkers / urine
  • Horse Diseases / blood
  • Horse Diseases / pathology*
  • Horse Diseases / urine*
  • Horses
  • Kidney Diseases / pathology
  • Kidney Diseases / urine
  • Kidney Diseases / veterinary*
  • Male
  • Urinalysis / veterinary

Substances

  • Biomarkers